Takeaways from Kentucky Baseball's Opening Series Sweep
Kentucky Baseball’s opening series is officially in the books, as the Cats finished off the weekend sweep of USC-Upstate on Sunday.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways.
So Far, So Good for Starters
By: Daniel Hager
RHP Travis Smith, LHP Dominic Niman, and RHP Mason Moore opened the season as the weekend starting rotation and did not disappoint. The trio of Smith, Niman, and Moore combined for 14.1 IP, 13 allowed hits, four earned runs, and 11 strikeouts. That’s good for a combined 2.84 ERA against the near-unanimous Preseason Big South Conference favorite Spartans.
With Niman acclimating to a new team and Moore acclimating to a new role, this makes things all the more impressive. Niman came away one as one of the most discussed additions in SEC this weekend, allowing just four hits and no runs in five innings pitched on Saturday. He also struck out six batters. The Preseason NCBWA First Team All-American certainly looks the part so far.
As for Moore, the 2023 Lexington Regional hero made his first career start on Sunday and looked great as well. Moore went 5.1 innings, allowing just two hits and no earned runs until giving up a two-run home run to USC-Upstate’s Grant Sherrod.
With an unproven bullpen, getting five-to-six innings of the starters is going to be very important for Kentucky’s success this season. They got off to a good start this weekend.
Sunday Lineup Shuffles
By: Derek Terry
One of the staples of this year’s Kentucky offense is its quality depth. On Sunday, redshirt freshman Lukas Schramm and transfers Mitch Daly and Ty Crittenberger earned their first starts as Wildcats. Mingione also gave junior infielder Patrick Herrera the start as the designated hitter in the leadoff spot. Those players joined normal starters Devin Burkes, Emilien Pitre, Ryan Nicholson, Nolan McCarthy and Grant Smith.
It was a productive day for several of the newcomers. Crittenberger, a Western Kentucky University transfer, went 3 for 4 with a two-run home run and two stolen bases. Schramm got the start in right field and walked in his first at-bat before slugging his first career home run in the top of the fourth inning. Daly, a defensive-first infielder looking for a resurgence at the plate after his struggles at Texas, went 1 for 3 with an RBI double. Herrera also added an RBI single. The new insertions into the lineup combined to go 6 for 13 with 5 RBIs.
How Mingione and assistant coach Nick Ammirati choose to handle this lineup throughout the year will be interesting. The Wildcats likely have around 13 realistic options to fill nine spots. With Ryan Waldschmidt likely returning from injury soon and a few positions locked in as everyday starters, a few talented players will be on the bench every game. It’s a good problem, but several positions will likely see some shuffling throughout the early portion of the season.
Immediate Transfer Impacts
By: Daniel Hager
In their first weekend series for the Wildcats, 3B Nick Lopez (USC), 1B Ryan Nicholson (Cincinnati), CF Ty Crittenberger (Western Kentucky), and 3B Mitch Daly (Texas) all impressed at the plate.
Lopez played in just the first two games, but went 4/9 with two doubles and an RBI. In his final season with the Trojans in 2023, Lopez slashed .273/.328/.465 with seven home runs and 12 doubles. If he can repeat that success for the Cats, he will be huge addition at a position where it was unknown who would even start, just days before the season began.
It will be hard to replace Hunter Gilliam at first, but Ryan Nicholson has looked good so far. The lefty has notched a hit in all three games along with 3 RBI. The Louisville native, who hit .294 with 16 home runs and 41 RBI in 2023, is just settling in.
Western Kentucky transfer Ty Crittenberger, who many thought would be the starting CF on Opening Day, had to wait until Sunday to make his season debut. What a debut it was, as Crittenberger went 3/4 at the plate with a home run, 2 RBI, and 2 SB. Expect a prolonged position battle between the transfer and freshman Griffin Cameron, who also impressed this weekend, in center.
Texas transfer Mitch Daly also made his season debut on Sunday, taking over at third base for Lopez. He filled up the stat sheet, logging a hit, two runs, and an RBI.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Phil Longo Fired
Wisconsin announces firing of OC
- 2
AP Poll Shakeup
New Top 25 shows big fallout from Saturday
- 3
JuJu Lewis
Elite QB decommits from USC
- 4New
5-star QB flip
Texas A&M commit Husan Longstreet flips to USC
- 5
Coaches Poll
Big changes to updated Top 25
Along with Niman, four other transfer pitchers (RHP Trey Pooser, RHP Cam O’Brien, RHP Johnny Hummel, and RHP Cooper Robinson) made their Wildcat debuts this weekend. NCBWA Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List member Johnny Hummel (Erskine) may have been the impressive, striking out the side to earn a save in Saturday’s 3-0 victory.
It will take a lot to live up to last season’s transfer class, but this crop of new faces is off to a good start.
Freshmen Debuts
By: Derek Terry
One of the bigger surprises on Friday was Lexington Catholic product Griffin Cameron earning the start in center field. Cameron has elite speed and is a good defender, but it’s rare in the Mingione era for true freshmen to make the opening day lineup. No freshman in 2022 or 2023 made their debut as a starter. Cameron reached base twice in his debut and drove in his first career RBI on an infield single. He went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts during Saturday’s game. Whether Cameron will maintain the center field job or not will be something to watch, but it shows the coaching staff’s trust in him at this point. However, speed is something every team covets. Even if he’s not a starter, Cameron has a classic late-game defensive sub or pinch-runner profile. It’s likely he helps the team in some capacity all season.
Freshmen Ethan Hindle and Eli Small, the two highest-ranked recruits in Kentucky’s 2023 class according to Perfect Game, also debuted on Sunday. Small pinch hit for Schramm in the eighth inning and homered in his only at-bat. It was a memorable debut for a player who drew rave reviews from the coaching staff in the fall. Hindle was hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance. In other years, these two might have been competing for more serious playing time, but the depth of older players will likely relegate them to at-bats only in garbage time. However, the baseball season is long and injuries and slumps could lead to more opportunities for Hindle and Small as the year progresses.
Ryan Waldschmidt Returns Ahead of Schedule
By: Daniel Hager
At Kentucky Baseball Media Day just weeks ago, Nick Mingione gave a mid-March return estimate for LF Ryan Waldschmidt, who tore his ACL in late July 2023.
Waldschmidt made his return way ahead of schedule, as he pinch-hit for DH Reuben Church in the eighth inning of Saturday’s win. He grounded out in his lone at-bat, but a Waldschmidt return is huge for what is already a jam-packed Wildcat lineup.
In 2023, Waldschmidt hit .290 with an .872 OPS in 200 at bats over 59 games. He also slugged five home runs and hit 14 doubles. He was named to the Lexington All-Regional Team after hitting a home run and driving in 5 RBI.
While Waldy makes his way back from the torn ACL, expect him to alternate at DH with Reuben Church over the coming weeks. When he returns to the field, he’ll reclaim his spot in left.
Kentucky will play Morehead State in their home opener at Kentucky Proud Park on Feb. 20 at 4:00 p.m. EST.
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